NEW YORK, USA, 30 December 2010 - For
UNICEF and the world's children, the past 12 months have been marked by
unprecedented difficulties and extraordinary opportunities. As 2010 draws
to a close, it's worth highlighting some of the moments that made this
a year like no other.

The year began, tragically and ominously,
with the devastating earthquake in Haiti on 12 January.

DAKAR, 30 December 2010 (IRIN) - This year
in West Africa natural and man-made disasters - from floods to fighting
- brought anguish and emergency assistance, and left communities, aid workers
and analysts mulling the long-term causes.

The always harsh lean season brought
a nutrition crisis in Niger, Chad and other parts of the Sahel; a massive
aid operation saved many lives, experts say, but the very fact that under-nutrition
regularly kills children in the region means prevention measures need just
as much attention.

1. In its letter dated 21 December 2007
(S/2007/754), the Security Council agreed to extend the mandate of the
United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) until 31 December 2010, and
requested me to report on the implementation of the revised mandate of
UNOWA every six months. The present report covers the period from 1 July
to 31 December 2010.

In 2011, tens of millions of people will
need emergency aid to survive. Conflicts and natural disasters have cut
them off from their homes, their livelihoods, and access to essentials
like drinking water and health care. They already suffer or are imminently
threatened by malnourishment, disease, or violence. Most are poor people
who have few if any means to cope with these traumas.

In West Africa, as with many other regions of the world, people with disabilities are largely excluded from the process of development, with extremely limited opportunities to engage in public consultations and decision-making. This exclusion only serves to reinforce the marginalisation, critical poverty and isolation experienced by people with disabilities in the region.

The Directorate General for Humanitarian
Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) is responsible for formulating EU humanitarian
aid policy and for funding humanitarian aid - including food aid - to
victims of conflicts or disasters, both natural and man-made, in non EU
countries.

DAKAR (AlertNet) - Governments in West
and Central Africa should learn from this year's flooding - which has disrupted
the livelihoods of nearly 2 million people - by urgently factoring climate
change into their disaster prevention and response plans, aid groups say.

Extreme weather linked to climate change,
including heavy rainfall, is expected to cause increasing damage in the
region.